Introduction
“Amarillo by Morning (Live From The Astrodome)” is a landmark performance that captures George Strait at the height of his powers, forever imprinting a listener’s memory with its blend of nostalgic storytelling and traditional country instrumentation. Originally penned in 1973 by Terry Stafford and Paul Fraser, the song draws inspiration from a nighttime drive after a rodeo performance in San Antonio back to Amarillo, Texas, and even from a TV commercial promising delivery “by morning” — a mix that birthed one of country music’s most enduring road ballads.
Stafford’s first recording in November 1973 charted modestly—peaking at No. 31 on Billboard—and laid the groundwork for a growing cult reverence, especially among rodeo circles. Then, cowboy-turned-songwriter Chris LeDoux offered his rugged 1975 rendition, helping to sustain the song’s life on the backroads of America.
Enter George Strait, whose neotraditional, fiddle-driven interpretation, recorded in 1982 for his album Strait from the Heart and released as a single in January 1983, transformed the track into his signature anthem. Though it peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Country chart, “Amarillo by Morning” has achieved even greater acclaim over time — earning 3× Platinum certification in the U.S., ranking as CMT’s No. 12 country song of all time (2004), and appearing in the Western Writers of America’s Top 100 Western songs list .
The rendition immortalized here is from Strait’s iconic final performance at Houston’s Astrodome on March 3, 2002—the climactic close to both the Rodeo Houston and the building’s storied history in front of a 68,000-strong crowd. It appears on his 2003 live album For the Last Time: Live From the Astrodome .
This introduction to the song is more than merely an account—it’s a vibrant snapshot of tradition, place, and an artist whose minimalist delivery—just fiddle, steel guitar, and an earnest cowboy voice—epitomizes country music’s heart. Strait’s measured phrasing evokes the weary yet determined rodeo cowboy at the song’s narrative core: battered, broke, and emotionally weathered, yet defiantly free. It’s this tension that elevates the song into what many consider the purest expression of country storytelling.